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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Hazelnut Almond Sticks

One of the wonderful memories I have of my Opa is his never ending selection of delectable biscuits. He would always bring out that fancy silver biscuit tin, remove the lid and tell us to eat as many as we wanted. They were always specialty biscuits, mainly European I imagine--lots of delicious Dutch biscuits I cant for the life of me pronounce the names of. I remember many of them where almond or hazelnut based, so when I found this recipe i was delighted. These biscuits look a little like Bokkenpootjes (Goat's Feet) but have a different taste. I was surprised to find them reminding me more of biscotti than Bokkenpootjes, and found them hard on retrieving them from the oven. Nevertheless, after a few days of sitting in the tin, I was delighted to find them softened to perfection, and the taste had become richer and oh so nutty. The combination of the dark chocolate over this nutty finger is delicious, a match made in heaven. I'm sure my Opa would have loved these.

Beat egg whites in a medium dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating well so that the sugar dissolves between additions. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the nuts and sifted flour. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain tube. Pipe 8cm lengths, about 4cm apart, on lined oven trays. Bake at 160C for about 15 minutes or until dry to touch.Cool on wire racks.
Place melted chocolate and butter together in a small bowl, and stir until incorporated.. Dip the ends of the sticks in the chocolate mixture and drizzle the ends with two stripes of chocolate. Leave to dry before serving. .

NOTES: you can use 30g copha instead of butter if preferred. Also, these sticks are best eaten a few days after making, as the flavour becomes richer and the biscuits become a little softer.